Based on an all-aluminum architecture that BMW says will be exclusive to the Rolls-Royce brand, the 2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan is about to embark on its final pre-production testing stint.
A prototype was recently filmed by our spy photographers all the way in Santa Claus' backyard, in Northern Sweden, and the model looks about as massive as you would expect a Roller SUV to be.
Of course, RR will never refer to it as an SUV in official marketing speak, preferring to call it a “high-bodied car” or an “all-terrain vehicle,” both monikers describing it perfectly.
In some parts of the footage below, you will be able to compare its size on the road to a 2019 Rolls-Royce Phantom and even a current Range Rover. It is our opinion that the Cullinan trounces both of its companions concerning width and height, but hopefully, the extensive use of aluminum on its platform will somewhat keep the weight in check.
Suicide doors in the rear, a massive trunk, a big, twin-turbocharged V12 up front and all the automotive luxury you can probably imagine will be part of the car. Speaking of the engine, at least 600 hp are to be expected from the mill, especially since it will most likely mirror the unit found in the BMW M760Li.
Rolls-Royce says that an all-new pneumatic suspension is being developed for the Cullinan, along with an all-wheel-drive system that will probably come as standard on the model. Despite its main characteristics and body-shell being unique to the upcoming Rolls-Royce lineup, some of its features should also become available at some point on the upcoming BMW X7 seven-seater SUV (SAV), but you shouldn't see the two cars as twins, or even cousins for that matter.
It hasn't been officially confirmed yet, but the Cullinan could be unveiled earlier than its sedan sibling, the Phantom VIII, but there should be just a few months between the two at the most. We'll give you more details as we learn them, and until then we can speculate that there might also be a Cullinan with an extended wheelbase in the near future.
Of course, RR will never refer to it as an SUV in official marketing speak, preferring to call it a “high-bodied car” or an “all-terrain vehicle,” both monikers describing it perfectly.
In some parts of the footage below, you will be able to compare its size on the road to a 2019 Rolls-Royce Phantom and even a current Range Rover. It is our opinion that the Cullinan trounces both of its companions concerning width and height, but hopefully, the extensive use of aluminum on its platform will somewhat keep the weight in check.
Suicide doors in the rear, a massive trunk, a big, twin-turbocharged V12 up front and all the automotive luxury you can probably imagine will be part of the car. Speaking of the engine, at least 600 hp are to be expected from the mill, especially since it will most likely mirror the unit found in the BMW M760Li.
Rolls-Royce says that an all-new pneumatic suspension is being developed for the Cullinan, along with an all-wheel-drive system that will probably come as standard on the model. Despite its main characteristics and body-shell being unique to the upcoming Rolls-Royce lineup, some of its features should also become available at some point on the upcoming BMW X7 seven-seater SUV (SAV), but you shouldn't see the two cars as twins, or even cousins for that matter.
It hasn't been officially confirmed yet, but the Cullinan could be unveiled earlier than its sedan sibling, the Phantom VIII, but there should be just a few months between the two at the most. We'll give you more details as we learn them, and until then we can speculate that there might also be a Cullinan with an extended wheelbase in the near future.